Who Is?
by scrambled-eggs-at-midnight
Summary: Who are the Death Note characters? Twenty lines in which the question, "Who is..?" is answered. Ch. 7: Light
1. Mello

**A/N: Hello!**

**This idea was given to me by the wonderful Scribbler, who wrote the original **_**Who is? **_**for Anzu Mazaki in the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom. In her author's note, Scribbler encouraged everyone to try the idea, and I finally caved and decided to give it a go because my writer's block has finally won out on me and won't let me write anything with actual plot. Here are the rules, and I quote:**

"**The brief is simple: twenty lines after the question 'Who is (insert name)?' and nothing obvious or dreary."**

**I began with Mello for no other reason than that he is my favorite character, but I plan on doing others. If I do, (which I might not, because I'll be in the lovely state of Washington for a week, and there is a possibility that I won't have internet a large part of the time) this should update about every other day, to give my beta time to look over each one. I hope you enjoy! :D**

Who is Mello?

Mello is a half-eaten chocolate bar left on the table.

Mello is the child who grew up too quickly on purpose.

Mello is a fist in the face of a certain little white-haired know-it-all.

Mello is a battered crucifix clutched between shaking, sweat-soaked fingers.

Mello is waking up in the middle of the night wondering how the hell he fell so far.

Mello is the only one to stick up for the weird kid in the goggles and stripes.

Mello is Roger's worst nightmare come true… and his source of entertainment.

Mello is a hug that smells like leather and chocolate and sunshine.

Mello is a smile so quick that you almost miss it.

Mello is passing out over textbooks and softly glowing computer screens.

Mello is the one little flaw in Kira's otherwise perfect plan.

Mello is the feeling that everything is going to hell, so why not ride along with it?

Mello is praying for something that even he doesn't know if he wants.

Mello is seeing the faces of the damned— the ones he condemned, and the ones he couldn't save.

Mello is the black mark on Near's perfection.

Mello is doing everything and anything to get to the top, and hang the consequences.

Mello is a test score just one percent lower than he'd like it.

Mello is working late in a vain attempt to ward off the nightmares of burning buildings falling around him.

Mello is the human that even Sidoh is afraid of.

Mello is an old photograph, preserved between the pages of a long-forgotten book.

Mello…is Mello. And he'll never be anything else.

**There you have it: Mello in a nutshell. A slightly weird nutshell that's been dropped under a steamroller and scorched with a flamethrower and then fed to the fangirls, but a nutshell nonetheless. Next will probably be Near, ( if I actually decide to be consistent with this) because my beta loves his name. XD. As always, reviews are loved.**

**Ciao!**

**-Eggy**


	2. Near

**A/N: As I predicted, every other day didn't work because I was on vacation, and although I had internet the majority of the time, I didn't have time to go through and type everything up. Sorry. I did, however, finish this, and Matt's chapter is half written. It should be up soon. Also, thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted. I appreciate it. **

**Just so you know, I plan on continuing this fic until I run out of characters, so if there's anyone you'd like to see, lemme know. Kthnxbai.**

**Disclaimer: I forgot this last time, but I don't own it. Original idea isn't mine either. Only the words and the order in which they occur.**

Who is Near?

Near is a puzzle piece just a little different than the others.

Near is ice easier to melt than most people think.

Near is the only one to ever have shut Mello up.

Near is a pale finger twirled in a mop of snow-white hair.

Near is a voice, raised barely above a whisper, that can catch the attention of a room full of people at least three years older than himself.

Near is the quietest child at Wammy's House… and also the most stubborn.

Near is the only one who never gave up on Mello, even when Mello gave up on him.

Near is a toy robot clutched by a child much older than he seems.

Near is analyzing anything and everything _just in case_ it comes in handy some day.

Near is a silent nod of respect to the man who gave his time to helping Near and the others to succeed.

Near is a tiny smile hiding a devious plot.

Near is a cheeky little bugger when he wants to be.

Near is L's silent shadow—watching, learning, waiting.

Near is towers and towers of building blocks and puzzles, because every block has its place, and every puzzle has an answer.

Near is like the pieces on his robots—detachable.

Near is a pout that'll get him just about anything from his superiors.

Near is an animated discussion with Roger about maybe expanding the playroom just a little bit.

Near is a tiny bit of resentment toward the ones who left, and left him behind.

Near is a reluctant giggle when Mello does something worth laughing at.

Near is Remembering. Remembering a brilliant blonde boy with eyes like ice and a smirk on his face. Remembering a boy in goggles and stripes, a cigarette clutched between his lips and a Game Boy in his hand. Remembering a soft-spoken detective with icing on his fingers and a sense of justice yet to be matched. Remembering a small pale boy in white pajamas who will never, ever give up.

**A bit less angsty than Mello's. Not by much, but still. ;) And I really have no idea where the ending came from. Blame an hour and a half on a double-decker bus with nothing to think about but old historic documents. Not that they weren't fascinating or anything….**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Eggy**


	3. Matt

**A/N: Hi. Yeah. Updates. Uh, this will probably be the last one for about two weeks, because I'm going to be out of town— but my handy dandy notebook is coming with me on my trip and I plan to be writing like crazy in my spare time. In short, I hope to have a whole bunch of crap for you guys to read by the time I get back. Fingers crossed!**

**Anyway, this is soooo much more upbeat than either ****Mello**** or Near's chapter. XD I don't know what it is, but there's something about that guy that just makes me smile. :3 **

**(Also, in case anyone cares, the first one is definitely my favorite. ^^)**

Who is Matt?

Matt is the one who always drives Mello's get-away cars

Matt is spending the night outside the mall to catch the newest shipment of video games, even if it means camping out in a tent.

Matt is a striped shirt and a pair of bright orange goggles that pretty much everyone agrees only he could pull off.

Matt is the world's dorkiest victory dance.

Matt is a cigarette clutched between lips poised to smile whenever a friend needs cheering up.

Matt is a beloved car, still in mint condition, gladly given up to help with Mello's newest crazy scheme.

Matt is the only one who has ever been able to hug Mello and not get punched.

Matt is whirring games and beeping computer monitors made to drown out the silence of the room he now shares with nothing but empty memories.

Matt is perfectly happy being third, thank you very much, so please stop asking.

Matt is not, whatever anyone might say, Mello's sidekick. He prefers "partner in crime."

Matt is also the only one Mello will hug back.

Matt is a half-hearted attempt to quit smoking, knowing that it probably won't matter much in the end.

Matt is a shattered game system, lying in the bottom of a trash can, that no one really wants to know the story behind.

Matt is that guy who everyone stops to say hello to in the street, even if they don't actually know him personally.

Matt is devotion personified.

Matt is the only one who wouldn't laugh at Near when the boy asked him to play a game with him.

Matt is the only one Mello knows who can play video games while wearing gloves.

Matt is a silent vow that once he finds Mello, he's never ever going to let that gosh darned blond leave him ever again.

Matt is the best damn friend anyone could think to ask for.

Matt is never getting angry, never leaving, never letting go, and never, ever, being anything other than what he wants to be.

…**Has anyone else noticed how very Mello-centric Matt's life is? O_o I dunno, maybe he should get some help for that. And the lack of angst is **_**still**_** surprising. But I love Matt so very much, and I'm kind of glad I didn't have to make myself sad while writing this. ^_^**

**So, thanks much for reading, and for those of you that reviewed/favorited/alerted. You are all made of win. *Hands out cookies.***

**I'll see you when I come home, everybody! Huggles!**

**-Eggy**


	4. Soichiro

**A/N: Terribly sorry this is so late. A mixture of Real Life and computer crashing got in the way of speedy updates. Anyway, this one's for Soichiro Yagami, because he is a freaking amazing character. I hope I did him justice.**

**Disclaimer: Keep forgetting to do these. Anyway, ****I don't own it. Original idea isn't mine either. Only the words and the order in which they occur.**

Who is Soichiro?

Soichiro is hoping (though not necessarily believing) that is son isn't Kira.

Soichiro is having to grow old before his time, giving his years to this case that he doesn't think will ever end.

Soichiro is not going to kill Mello, because even thought he's an officer he's also a father, and he recognizes that desperate look on the boy's face.

Soichiro is holding on to reality for dear life, but everything he knows is too busy collapsing around him to notice.

Soichiro is a whispered lullaby to the children he didn't know he'd be losing.

Soichiro is more than one night spent wondering how the hell he managed to get in so far over his head.

Soichiro is a promise to his wife that he knows he'll never be able to keep.

Soichiro is giving his life for a cause he desperately believes in and still wishing he could do more.

Soichiro is keeping his head, because someone has to and no one else is doing a very good job of staying calm.

Soichiro is wishing, for just a moment, that he could give to L everything Light ever had.

Soichiro is hesitating, because even though he's promised to follow L, he can't help but wonder if this really is justice.

Soichiro is looking at the clock late at night and thinking, _well, one more hour at the office couldn't hurt..._

Soichiro is hugging his little girl— who really isn't so little anymore— and wondering if it's for the last time.

Soichiro is a gun in his hand and a picture of his family in his pocket.

Soichiro is a hero.

Soichiro is being there for his son, even if it means having to disagree with world's three greatest detectives.

Soichiro is another late-night cup of coffee when there's too much work to do and not enough time to do it.

Soichiro is staying strong for his family, even when inside he's breaking.

Soichiro is his children's shoulder to cry on after a hard break-up or a bad test score gets them down, and a hand to hold on to when the Kira case takes its toll on them all.

Soichiro is a cop, a father, a martyr: Soichiro is a man, and the world was lucky—was honored—to have him.

…**Wow, angst much, Eggy? Soichiro is basically one of the only true "good guys" in the series, and I almost cried when he died. I hope I conveyed that here. **

**As to who's coming up next… I don't actually know. Possibly BB, because I have part of his chapter written. (Even though it sucks.) There is much editing to be done, but it's half-way written. After that… well… it depends on what my muses say. XD**

**Review?**


	5. Beyond Birthday

**A/N: This chapter is actually up relatively on time! I'm so excited! As always, much love to my beta, who continues to put up with me (and excise superfluous smilies) and to you guys, who do the same (minus the smilies bit.) **

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own **_**Death Note**_**. Original **_**Who is? **_**isn't mine either. Only the words in this story and the order in which they occur are.**

Beyond Birthday is a borrowed face, hiding in plain sight.

Beyond Birthday is what L chose not to become.

Beyond Birthday is a lie, hiding like the monsters in your closet.

Beyond Birthday is a jam-stained smile and a bloodstained past.

Beyond Birthday is a mistake that the world couldn't cover up.

Beyond Birthday is Wammy's House's first failure, and he's never going to let  
anyone forget it.

Beyond Birthday is a knife in your gut, because why shouldn't everyone else feel just as much pain as he did?

Beyond Birthday is L's doppelganger, if only because he thought that was what L wanted.

Beyond Birthday is knowing he'll never be perfect, so why even try anymore?

Beyond Birthday is the labeled-crazy, the House's taboo.

Beyond Birthday is that feeling you get when you think you're being watched.

Beyond Birthday is the reason that A is gone, and it's the one thing he's never really gotten over.

Beyond Birthday is killing, killing, killing, because that's what he knows and he has nothing better to do anyway.

Beyond Birthday is _that one weird kid_ present in every school, and he honestly doesn't mind.

Beyond Birthday is never to be mentioned. Ever.

Beyond Birthday is just like guns and roses; all three are beautiful, and all three can make you bleed.

Beyond Birthday is an example: what not to become, and exactly how to become it.

Beyond Birthday is a well-placed smirk in place of the tears he desperately wants to show.

Beyond Birthday is the end of the first generation of Wammy kids, and the beginning of another.

Beyond Birthday is crazy, but he's the kind of crazy that just might save him in the end.

**BB. :) I'm rather afraid that I didn't really do his character enough justice; I just don't know all that much about him, having only read the first three chapters of **_**Another Note**_** in a bookstore. Oh well. I have absolutely no idea who's coming up next, so if there are any characters you want to see, let me know. **

**-Eggy**


	6. L

**A/N: Omigawd, I did it again! A chapter that's relatively not late!**

**And now, I give you the guy who probably had the most chapter requests... L!**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own **_**Death Note**_**. Original **_**Who is? **_**isn't mine either. Only the words in this story and the order in which they occur are.**

Who is L?

L is the person who got in the way of the life Lawliet might have had.

L is the only person to ever tell Light the whole truth

L is a letter on a computer screen, but somehow he's managed to work his way into the hearts of the few people who actually know him.

L is a cake whore.

L is an inspiration for those who strive to be him, but also a constant burden on the minds of those who know they can't.

L is Mello's idol, and he knows that he'll never be able to live up to the boy's expectations.

L is a pair of dark eyes that show so much more than they hide, but only to the people who care to look.

L is old shirts and baggy jeans, because clothes say a lot about you and he hates giving people the impression of being something he's not.

L is sorry for the children whose lives he stole, but also for the ones he never had the chance to touch.

L is the bells.

L is the most annoying person Light has ever met in his life, but Light kind of loves him anyway.

L is a pair of bare feet padding down the hall late at night, because this is an emergency cake run and shoes are such a bother.

L is a mop of dark hair that even the House's finest barbers couldn't tame.

L is quite possibly made out of sugar.

L is very glad no one knows his real name, because he doesn't think he can stand to hear the lollipop song any more.

L is positive that Light Yagami is Kira, and he'll be damned if he lets that son of a bitch beat him.

L is reading Mello's book and wondering where on Earth the kid picked up his writing skills, because it sure as hell wasn't from him.

L is the one who gave Matt his first Game Boy, forever earning himself a place in the boy's heart.

L is respect for Soichiro Yagami, because, in more ways than one, the man reminds him of Quillsh Wammy.

L is a letter, an idol, a sugar-addict, and a genius, but he's also a person. A man. A friend. Before he was L, he was Lawliet, and that part of him stays hidden in a spot that Kira can't touch.

**Who is next? Uh, you tell me, because I don't actually know. Also, random fact; this chapter has the highest word count out of all of them. :D**

**Review?**

**-Eggy**


	7. Light

**A/N: Holy late chapter, Batman! Sorry, guys. Blame my crazy stress over finals and homework. This was extremely therapeutic to write, and I'm pretty sure that all my angst ended up here. Because that's new. XD I know I swore I'd do Matsuda for this chapter, but damn, that guy is surprisingly hard to write. Rest assured that I am trying, though. **

Who is Light?

Light is the first person killed by Kira, buried back behind a little black notebook and cut from the world with the stroke of a pen.

Light is Lawliet's friend; Kira is L's enemy

Light is a smile that brightens the room and tells a lie at the exact same time without him even knowing it

Light is the golden child and always will be, though he would have liked a chance to be silver just once.

Light is a picture crumpled in a wallet that shows a tiny family of four smiling innocently into the camera, not knowing that they are the last memory left of the Before, unaware that their real-life counterparts- the ones who are still alive- are now only glaring signs of the After.

Light is a mirror, and eventually he will shatter.

Light is a book that's covered in the fingerprints of a child who wanted to know everything... and almost succeeded.

Light is pretending to be perfect, and pretending that he believes his own lies.

Light is Sayu's Big Brother and she just can't give up on him, no matter how many times she has to tell herself that he still loves her.

Light is remembering that he's still human.

Light is a cliché, the night in shining armor, bound to the story books he used to read as a kid and still sort of believe, just a little bit.

Light is a corner, the sharp edge that catches you in the side like a thorn when you happen to brush against it.

Light is a rose, because he's beautiful, and he will make you bleed.

Light is obsessive compulsive, because it only makes sense that the god of the new world wants perfection.

Light is failing a test on purpose just to see what it actually feels like to get something wrong for once.

Light is broken, and he scatters across the room like so much color.

Light is a web, woven over the years, and his strands are made of lies and fire-like ashes that only one person ever escaped from.

Light is a car crash, and the world can't look away.

Light is not evil. He doesn't know what he is, but he knows that much for sure.

Light is an angel, because even angels fall.

**Review? It might make my week suck less. *is pathetic***

**-Eggy**


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